Islamabad/Muzaffarabad: A new purported training video of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has surfaced online, allegedly showing its operatives undergoing swimming and water-based combat training at Mangla Dam in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
The footage appears to show armed recruits being trained in long-distance swimming, coordinated movement in water, and other techniques associated with waterborne operations. Security analysts believe the video may be part of the group’s ongoing recruitment and specialised training activities.
The video has emerged just days after another LeT video surfaced in which US-designated global terrorist Haris Dar was purportedly seen addressing new recruits. In that video, he allegedly states that “the next target is Mangla Dam” while referring to the India-Pakistan water dispute as part of the group’s future agenda. The authenticity of those remarks has not been independently verified.
Mangla Dam’s Link to the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks
Mangla Dam, located on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur district of PoJK, is one of Pakistan’s largest reservoirs. According to Indian investigative agencies and documents related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the area around Mangla Dam had previously been used by Lashkar-e-Taiba to train terrorists in maritime operations.
Investigators have alleged that Ajmal Amir Kasab and several other terrorists involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks received specialised training in swimming, boat handling, navigation and beach landing exercises in the Mangla Dam region before infiltrating India by sea.
Those maritime skills were later used during the November 26, 2008 attacks, in which ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists entered Mumbai via the Arabian Sea, resulting in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in India’s history.
Security Concerns
Security experts say that if the newly surfaced video is authentic, it suggests that Lashkar-e-Taiba continues to place significant emphasis on water-based infiltration techniques and specialised combat training despite years of international scrutiny.
The emergence of the footage is expected to draw the attention of Indian security agencies, which have consistently warned about attempts by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations to upgrade their operational capabilities and infiltration methods.
Lashkar-e-Taiba remains a UN-designated terrorist organisation and is banned by India, the United States and several other countries. India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing terrorist infrastructure to operate from its territory and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has consistently denied these allegations.